Trips

OAT: Namibia & the Skeleton Coast: Africa’s Last Wilderness
August 22 – September 6, 2017

The second tour of our African adventure was to Namibia, a country that is mostly desert. Some places in Namibia have not had rain for 5 years! The focus of the first part of the trip was on the desert, the coast, and the different cultural groups found in the region. The last week of the tour was spent in the northern part of the country where we were able to see the animals in Damaraland and Etosha National Park.

Trip Map
August 23	Windhoek Tour; Oshetu Community Market; Penduka Craft Center
August 24	Fly to Kulala
August 25	Namib Desert Dunes; Dune 45; Deadvlei; Sunset
August 26	Kulala; Sesriem Canyon
August 27	Fly to Walvis Bay
August 28	Dantago Community; Herero Orphanage; Swakopmund
August 29	Walvis Bay Boating; Skeleton Coast
August 30	Fly to Damaraland; Desert Elephants
August 31	Petroglyphs; Burnt Mountain; Organ Pipes; Damara Living Museum
September 1	Petrified Forest; Goat Gift; Doro Nawas
September 2	Fly to Etosha-Andersson's Camp; Ongava Game Reserve
September 3	Lions Hunting; Etosha National Park
September 4	Ongava Game Reserve; Camp Waterhole
September 4-5	Fly home
Namibia and the Skeleton Coast

Tues., 8/22/2017 - Johannesburg to Windhoek, Namibia
      We met Reynard (an OAT rep) again in the hotel lobby at 9:45 and he took our group of 11 to the airport and helped us check in.
      The British Airways flight to Windhoek was two-hours across very dry, barren land. Our hotel, the Thule, is up on a hill overlooking the city. It is very nice and we have a nice large room.
      We met at 5:30 for introductions and briefing and then went by bus to NICE, Namibian Institute of Culinary Education and had a very nice meal with oryx and eland steaks.

Wed., 8/23/2017 – Windhoek
      Our new OAT tour director is Lloyd. He gave us a lesson on the history of Namibia as we sat on the bus this morning.
      We got off the bus at the “old” parliament building built in 1912 by Germany.
      We walked to the Namibian Museum built by the South Koreans and opened in 1990. It is a picture museum of the struggle for the independence that was granted in 1990.
      Next door is the old fort used by the Germans in controlling the Herero and Nama people in the 1800’s. In front of it is a peace monument entitled “Their Blood Waters our Freedom.”
      We crossed the street and entered the German Lutheran Church, Christuskirche, built in 1907. Kaiser Wilhelm II paid for the stained glass windows.

Flag of Namibia

Varieties of Namibian license plates

School kids on the steps of the original parliament building

Sports fields - Cricket

Statue of Sam Nujoma, Namibia's first president

         The coat of arms is based on the flag of Namibia, and is rooted in the sand of the Namib Desert. Rooted in the sand is the unique plant Welwitschia mirabilis, one of the world's oldest plants.
         The fish eagle on the arms represents the north and the water resources of the country.
         The two oryx are indigenous to the semi-arid parts of the country and are proud and brave animals.
         The headband (atop the shield) is made from diamonds, which are of importance to the economy of the country, and are placed in a traditional pattern.
         The motto represents the key principles of the constitution of the country.

Welwitschia

Genocide monument

German Lutheran Church

Windhoek - craft market

The bus then took us to Katutura to the Oshetu community market. Lloyd showed us bird’s plum, dried spinach, dried caterpillars, among other local things. We sampled local bread and donuts and roasted meats. The meat market is being refurbished, which it badly needed, but the spice and grain areas were relatively clean and neat.

Oshetu Community Market

Oshetu Community Market - free samples

Oshetu Community Market - mushrooms

Oshetu Community Market

Oshetu Community Market - dried caterpillars

Oshetu Community Market

Note the angle of the satellite dishes

Next we drove to the dam and reservoir where a woman from the Netherlands started Penduka, a women’s center, in 1992. Women are trained in pottery, sewing, embroidery, glass bead making, and hospitality so they can make a living. We toured the workrooms and visited the shops. We ate lunch there and Gale sampled the roasted caterpillars. She ate two and they were okay. The women then danced for us. It was like stomping to a bongo drumbeat.